


Don't Threaten Me With A Curse

by KillerQueeenBee



Category: Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: All of these characters are barely mentioned except Shane and Ryan, Cuddling, Drunk idiots, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Mistletoe, New Year's Kiss, Post Covid-19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28451574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillerQueeenBee/pseuds/KillerQueeenBee
Summary: In a world where Covid somehow got solved in time for New Years, the Watcher crew have a party to celebrate the incoming 2021 and being able to be together again. Alcohol and post-Covid elation paired with a conveniently placed mistletoe makes for a seemingly easy decision for the boys.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 15
Kudos: 31
Collections: The Shyan Shipping Society Writing Challenge - december 2020





	Don't Threaten Me With A Curse

**Author's Note:**

> For the Shyan Shipping Society discord server, I love each and every one of you guys. <3  
> It's a miracle that this got finished, I sincerely hope it's coherent enough to be good.

It was New Year's Eve and just about everyone was making themselves comfortable in the Watcher office. They were all spread out on the couch, chairs, desks, and the floor with drinks and snacks in hand, the countdown to the ball drop playing on a tv that no one was watching. There was a buzz in the air that couldn't be explained by the alcohol or warmth or treats. No, it was the direct result of finally being able to all be together in the same room again. 

Quarantine had been hard on everyone, and even though they’d seen each other often in virtual meetings and on set for Too Many Spirits (from a safe distance), there was absolutely nothing that compared to being able to hug and high five and feed off of the energy of so many people in a room and inches away instead of feet. There was also something about being able to touch, too, after days on weeks on months of following all the rules that was just so much more powerful now that it was allowed. Nearly everyone was touching and hugging arbitrarily just because it felt so good to have so much contact after so long without it.

Ryan, Shane, and Steven were all crammed onto the couch, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, and they couldn’t be happier. Shane and Ryan seemed to be having the hardest time keeping their hands to themselves, touching each other’s shoulders and knees and rubbing backs and pressing impossibly closer when they were already close as could be. This was even more true once they were both full of alcohol. Their touches became less and less friendly and more desperate for attention. Ryan ended up taking Shane’s hand into his own at some point and intertwined their fingers casually as could be.

Ryan had always been naturally affectionate, but now it was coming out tenfold, and Shane did not mind in the slightest. In fact, he rather enjoyed the way Ryan initiated so much easy affection that he had desperately missed during quarantine. Their shoulders and thighs had been pressed together like this before, but Shane was certain he had never felt this close to Ryan before. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was quarantine, but Shane swore he would never take Ryan’s touches for granted again.

Shane was being more touchy-feely than he had ever been in his entire life, Ryan was sure of it. And that was a good thing because Shane was sort of barely the hugging type but tonight very little was off limits. Even Steven “you’re touching my shoulder” Lim was coming out of his shell to get that long overdue human contact that everyone needed. 

Steven may have been feeling a little more affectionate, but the moment he spotted Brittney cross-legged on the floor in front of the tv with the Professor in her lap he pointed at her with indignation. He leaned over to see Shane past Ryan and he frowned. “Why does she get to hold him? You yelled at me for even touching him once and she’s- she’s canoodling him!” Steven was also fairly drunk with a soft flush on his cheek to match that of the Ghoul Boys. Everything was so warm and happy and most everyone was nearing the Pretty Drunk mark.

"She gets to hold him because she treats him with the respect he is owed." Shane huffed, resting an arm on Ryan’s shoulder so he could lean closer to Steven. "He is a gentleman, and she knows it." He said simply.

Brittney looked back at the three of them and smiled. She was definitely the most sober person in the entire office. "He is a gentleman, and I'll take good care of him." She assured, and her tone was very convincing.

It almost made Ryan believe the Professor was something other than pure evil. Almost.

“See? That's why she gets to hold him.” Shane said, gesturing with far too much gusto for how ridiculous the topic was. He was also grinning in that self-satisfied way that was incredibly irritating to Ryan. It made his face light up, but in an ever so slightly smug sort of way.

“Evil little puppet man.” Ryan mumbled as he leaned to rest his head on Shane’s shoulder. He immediately yawned and he closed his eyes for just a moment. He had apparently reached the point of drunkenness where he was sleepy. Though he was happier than he had been in months with all his friends close and the dawn of a new year rapidly approaching. 

Shane was about to say something about Ryan being rude to his fuzzy blue son when he caught Ryan yawning. “Hey, you can’t fall asleep. It’s not even midnight yet, Ryan.” He poked Ryan lightly in the side. “Wake up.”

Ryan opened his eyes, sat up slightly, and blinked a few times in order to properly look at Shane, smiling the most beautiful smile Shane's ever seen. “I’m awake.” He declared, and it was with enough energy that he felt it might possibly convince Shane. “Hey, I can't wait to spend next year with you.” He said before he could think. “I mean. I can't wait to see what next year brings. With you by my side. The Ghoul Boys for life, y'know?” He amended sheepishly. 

“Ghoul Boys for life.” Shane agreed easily. He rubbed Ryan’s back absently, considering how Ryan has always been so hopeful. He always seemed to look to the future with optimism and excitement when he usually did the opposite. Shane liked to think on the past, of all the times they’d shared together and all the things they have accomplished in their time together. They had become viral memes, for God's sake! Like, what an accomplishment! You couldn’t really top that. Except he was sure Ryan was thinking of ways that they could do exactly that. “Do you want another drink?” He asked, because nothing screams “good idea” like getting even more drunk when they were already toeing the line.

Ryan hummed and nodded without much thought. “I’ll come with you, though. I better move around a little bit or I might actually fall asleep.” He said, getting to his feet and stretching in a way that engaged his entire body. “You’re pretty comfortable for a sasquatch.” He teased, offering his hand to pull Shane to his feet. 

Shane rolled his eyes but took Ryan’s hand and then kept it in his own as they walked over to the table that served as their own personal budget bar. “And you’re pretty comfortable for a halfling.” He replied, grinning as he squeezed Ryan’s hand at the indignant noise he made. “After this we should probably drink some water, though. We don’t want TMS level hangovers.” He pointed out. 

“Yeah, that's a good idea. Otherwise you wouldn't be seeing me for at least two days.” Ryan agreed with a laugh. He hadn’t been bedridden that long for Too Many Spirits, but he had certainly wanted to be. He grabbed two beers and handed one to Shane. 

“You know, if you come over, we could be miserable in the morning together. I could make coffee, maybe even order breakfast?” Shane suggests before he can rethink it, looking down at the beer Ryan just handed him and not at the man himself. He wasn’t trying to imply anything by asking Ryan to come home with him, he just wanted to have Ryan close every moment of the day now that it was finally allowed. He knew they had “seen” each other nearly every day of quarantine, but it wasn’t the same through a screen or from one him away. 

Ryan did not even pause for a second before he nodded giddily. “Yeah, I’d like that. I gotta say hi to Obi, don’t I? He probably doesn’t even remember who I am.” He said, perhaps a tad dramatically. He might have been allergic to cats, and he also didn’t totally understand cats, but he knew how important Obi was to Shane and that mattered to him.

“My son would never forget my best friend, you dumbass.” Shane said, nudging Ryan’s arm, and it felt so incredibly special to even be able to do that. What was it that people said about not knowing what you had until it was gone? That was perhaps a little cliché, but it was exactly what Shane had been feeling all of quarantine. Now that he finally had it back, he wanted to appreciate every single moment.

“Your son doesn’t even like me.” Ryan pointed out, opening his beer and taking a long sip. “But I did miss him.“ He said, glancing at Shane. “And you.” He fought the urge to look away when he said that, allowing himself to keep an open face with soft vulnerability in his eyes.

Shane was weak to the look and it prompted him to gently pull Ryan away from the fray and toward the doorway where there was a little bit of privacy to be had. “I missed you too, Ryan.” He said, fiddling with his beer. “If we end up um- If we go back to shit, maybe you could stay with me? Until it’s really over?” He knew it was impractical and stupid, and he didn’t even mean to say it but the atmosphere was such that if felt like everything had to be said, and said freely, without fear. 

“Yes.” Ryan agreed immediately, unable to stop himself. He knew there was a lot to think about but he’d already thought about it so often in quarantine when he was stuck in his apartment with Roland and Danny. He knew he couldn’t handle any longer without Shane. “I’d like that.” He said with a soft smile. “But hopefully it doesn’t! Go back to shit, I mean.” He added as an afterthought.

Before Shane could say anything there was a commotion in front of the TV as the countdown got down to thirty seconds. He glanced at the screen and then back at Ryan, wrapping an arm around his middle and pulling him close. “To a year well spent despite all the challenges we faced.” He said, raising his beer toward Ryan in a private toast.

Despite being a little flustered as he was pulled close to Shane, Ryan raised his beer as well. “And to 2021, which will be even better.” He said, gently clinking his beer to Shane's. They both took a swig and watched as the seconds ticked down to zero and the ball dropped. 

There were cheers and whoops around the office and a resounding feeling of relief as people shed the weight of 2020 and looked to a hopeful tomorrow. As was the tradition, kisses were shared amongst friends and coworkers alike. Brittney kissed the Professor's cheek, Simone landed one on Katie's temple, Lauren kissed the top of Steven's head, and Anthony looked TJ who quirked a brow just so in a way that suggested something like “try it and I'll punch you.”

Ryan smiled and when he turned to look up at Shane, he had no idea what he planned on saying or doing. Thankfully, something behind Shane’s head caught his eye and his eyebrows rose as he realized what it was.

Shane turned around to follow Ryan’s gaze and he chuckled. “Well, if the New Year’s tradition thing wasn’t convincing enough, mistletoe certainly does the job.” He said, his voice as warm as his eyes as he looked at Ryan. He took both their beers and set them down on a nearby desk. He used a finger under Ryan’s chin to tilt his head up ever so slightly.

It made Ryan weak in the knees to have that gaze trained on him and then Shane was setting them up for a kiss and Ryan struggled to stay steady on his feet. “Can’t- can’t argue with that.” He said, far less suavely than he wished. He stood up a little straighter and hesitated for only a fraction of a second before he reached up to wrap a hand around the back of Shane’s neck. He couldn’t be expected to share their first kiss on his tiptoes, so he pulled Shane down to his level.

When their lips met Shane’s were as soft as Ryan had always thought they looked, and they were warm and pliant under his own. The kiss was more than the peck it probably should have been, but Ryan pulled away just in time to keep himself from trying to take it what may have been a little too far. He flushed and let his hand fall from Shane’s nape to hang uselessly at his side.

Shane was similarly flushed, and he grinned at Ryan who looked awfully sheepish for having technically been the one who initiated the kiss. "Did that um... satisfy our obligation, or...?" He asked with a sort of hopefulness that made it a little too obvious that this was bait.

Ryan ate it right up anyway, though. He appreciated the excuse. "I think that only fulfils the rules of New Year's kiss." He said, very seriously. "You owe me one for mistletoe rules." He pointed up at the offending plant for emphasis. "I'm pretty sure you get cursed or some shit if you disobey mistletoe rules." 

"You're so right. We wouldn't want to get cursed, now would we?" Shane said, and this time he leaned down without prompting and pressed his lips to Ryan's. 

Ryan parted his lips slightly and the kiss became something much more intense than the first. Before he knew it, he was sucking Shane's bottom lip between his own, ghosting his teeth over the soft flesh ever so slightly in a hint of all the other things he really wanted to do before he broke the kiss once more. 

"Curses are bullshit, you know that, right?" Shane found himself saying. That wasn't really what he'd intended to say, but that was what came out.

"I know." Ryan said with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips. Deep down he actually does sort of believe in curses, but that was absolutely not the point right now. The moment felt perfect in a way, but also fragile. They were on the cusp of something so important, but they could leave it here, too. He could laugh it off and say something about kissing best friends. Maybe throw in a joke about being a frat boy. But that wasn't what he wanted, and he prayed it wasn't what Shane wanted either. 

Shane smiled at Ryan and leaned in close to his ear. "You didn't have to threaten me with a weak ass curse excuse, Ry." He said, his hand coming up to cup Ryan's cheek. 

This time it was neither Ryan nor Shane who initiated the kiss, but the two of them, finally coming together for something that it seems they have always been building up to. Ever since Shane first came on BuzzFeed Unsolved and made him laugh so hard he couldn't do anything but wheeze.

They were so engrossed in each other that they rather forgot that other people existed. Well, until something hit Ryan in the head and Shane in the eyebrow. They startled apart, and when they looked over, it was Steven Lim that glared at them (fondly, of course). "I'm trying to make a beautiful toast here, and you guys are off finally getting your shit together." He said with a bright smile. 

"Did you just throw a Solo cup at us?" Shane asked, looking at the offending plastic cup on the ground beside them. "He threw a cup at us, Ryan." He said, but he couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips.

"Sounds about right. Big Apple Steve has no respect for anything or anyone." Ryan said, and then he got closer to Shane, slipping his hand in Shane's pants pocket which caused Shane to make a rather undignified noise and someone else to whistle.

"Uh, Ryan, whatcha doin' there, buddy?" Shane asked, trying his best to keep his voice even, but it felt decidedly not.

Ryan pulled his hand out and winked at Shane. "Think fast, Lim!" He shouted before he threw Shane's beloved Burt's Bees chapstick right at Steven. 

It was a deadly projectile, but luckily it only hit Steven in the arm. "Ow, hey! I threw a cup at you, not a bullet tube! I didn't deserve that!" But Brittney was giggling and Ryan looked far too pleased with himself, and it was pretty par for their course. "Whatever. Anyway..." Steven waved dismissively at his two idiot cofounders and went back to his toast.

Ryan had an absolutely shit-eating grin on his face as he looked up at Shane. "Was that a chapstick in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" He asked in a slightly deeper voice and with a wiggle of his brows. 

Shane rolled his eyes and reached up to pull the mistletoe off the hook so that he could wack Ryan in the chest with it. "You're a dumbass and I hope you know you have to go find my chapstick now." He said, shoving Ryan over toward the small circle that had gathered around Steven as he made a heartwarming speech about the shitty ass year they'd come through, and the hopes and dreams that 2021 would hold or something. 

Ryan wasn't really listening because Shane slid his hand back into his own and interlaced their fingers. And then, as if that wasn't enough, Shane leaned down to Ryan's level and whispered "it was both" and Ryan absolutely lost it. He pressed his fist to his mouth as he tried to keep his hysterical giggling to a minimum, with little success. Everyone looked at him anyway, but they were not surprised.

The rest of the night was a haze of alcohol, happiness, and a little bit of forced hydration. They decided to leave the office a bit of a mess when people started heading home. The cleanup was more of a tomorrow problem anyway. Or a few days in the future kind of problem. 

*****

Ryan did indeed go over to Shane's place. It was easier to shove two drunken idiots into a Lyft to one address than the alternative. Thank you, Brittney, the designated ride designator. 

They stumbled their way up to Shane's apartment and once they were inside they immediately felt a sort of familiarity with the space and each other that they had been missing ever since quarantine started.

"We should probably go to sleep. The witching hour will soon be upon us, you know." Ryan said, but he didn't necessarily want to sleep. In fact, he wanted to climb Shane like a fucking tree, but they were currently very drunk and it might have been a little difficult. 

"What time is the witching hour again? Three? Or is it four? I feel like I've also heard midnight." Shane said, and maybe he was stalling because he didn't know what to say about them and he was a little tiny bit worried that they would ignore all of this in the morning.

"Oh, shit. I thought it was three, maybe that's not true." Ryan shrugged. "I don't know anymore, but I do know for a fact that it's late and I'm tired as fuck." He said, rubbing his eyes for emphasis.

Shane nodded slowly. "You are a sleepy drunk after you've gotten the party behavior out of your system." He hummed, and he nudged Ryan toward his bedroom. "We can sleep in my bed, if that's okay? It's definitely better than the couch..." He shrugged, as if it didn’t really matter to him, but of course it did. He wanted to cuddle up to Ryan and hold on to him. He wanted to make sure he couldn’t leave and forget all of this in the morning. Would Ryan do that? He didn't think so, but he didn’t want to have to find out.

Ryan dared to reach out and take Shane by the hand, pulling him toward the bedroom. "This time no pillow wall?" He asked, as if that was even really a question. 

"No pillow wall. Fuck the pillow wall, actually." Shane squeezed Ryan's hand and allowed himself to be pulled into his bedroom. "I've um... I've got some sweats that are a little short on me, if you want? They'll probably still drown you, but, better than jeans?"

Ryan nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, definitely better than jeans. I'd really appreciate that." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you, Shane." He maybe liked the idea of wearing Shane's clothes a little too much, but he was trying (failing) to stay cool.

Shane hummed as he rifled through his drawers to find the smaller pants for Ryan. He also grabbed a pair for himself and the first two shirts he saw. He handed Ryan his clothes and then nodded toward the bathroom. "You can uh, change in there, if you want?" He said, then he shamelessly pulled off his shirt because Ryan had already seen him in worse stages of undress (and so has the internet, actually).

Ryan fully planned on moving to the bathroom to change but then Shane went and stripped off his shirt and then he was just sort of standing there looking at Shane in a way he’d never allowed himself before (not face to face, anyway). Damn, he was hot. "I uh... Yeah. Uh huh." He said and then shuffled a few steps toward the bathroom.

Shane looked at Ryan and chuckled at his expression. He waited to put on his shirt though, maybe because he enjoyed teasing Ryan just a little bit. "Go on." He lightly pushed Ryan toward the bathroom, even if he was already moving. "You can stare tomorrow." He teased, smiling. He knew they would be better off starting whatever this was on a more sober note, but it was tempting to try to start something now.

"Yeah, tomorrow." Ryan blushed softly and hurried the rest of the way to the bathroom and quickly shut the door behind him. He changed swiftly then stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. The shirt fit pretty tight around his arms because for some reason Shane liked his shirts form-fitting while Ryan usually wore his a little loose. The pants were long, though, even after he rolled the waist a few times, and he was sure he looked kinda ridiculous. But it smelt like Shane and he was about to snuggle up close to his best friend, so really, things were absolutely perfect. He half attempted to fold his clothes and then he left them on the counter before heading back out to the bedroom.

Shane changed quickly and then sat on the bed, trying to look natural and not like he was anxiously awaiting Ryan's arrival. He failed completely because when Ryan came out of the bathroom Shane absolutely lit up at the sight of him. 

"No staring until tomorrow." Ryan shot back at Shane with a grin. He moved to sit on the other side of the bed, and the moment that he settled down, Shane pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"We're gonna be hungover tomorrow." Shane grumbled, shifting to pull the covers over them before laying down on his side facing Ryan.

Ryan laid down and looked at Shane for a moment. "I don't think I've ever looked forward to the morning after drinking the way that I am right now. I'm not even worried about the hangover." He admitted with a grin. 

Shane could not help but be dazzled by Ryan's smile. It was so bright and beautiful, and he could finally appreciate it fully now. He openly stared at Ryan without any shame, and he reached up to trace Ryan's bottom lip with his thumb. "How am I supposed to sleep when you're all that I can think about?" He whispered.

Ryan had the very strong urge to coax that thumb into his mouth, but he actually was very tired and he knew Shane wanted to wait. So instead, he nipped playfully at the tip of Shane's thumb. "Dream about what you wanna do to me then, hmm?" He suggested, kissing Shane's forehead before turning 180 degrees so that he was facing away from Shane. 

Shane sighed fondly and pressed his forehead against Ryan's back. "You're insufferable." He mumbled, snaking an arm around Ryan's middle and pulling him closer. "Goodnight, Ryan." He said, pressing a tender kiss to Ryan's neck.

"Goodnight, Shane." Ryan hummed, putting a hand over the one Shane had around him. He knew it was probably going to take him a while to fall asleep, but they had committed to a surprisingly good decision, they couldn’t back out now.

Eventually, they both managed to fall asleep.

***** 

It was a little past eleven o’clock, but it still felt way too early when Shane woke up. He was on the verge of being too warm, but he was currently in that small zone of perfection. It felt even more perfect when he realized the reason for the warmth was that he had all five feet and nine inches of Ryan Bergara pressed against him. He blinked against the sunlight streaming into his bedroom and was met with the sight of messy brown curls. He then felt something nudge against his back and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly. 

“Meow.” Accompanied by another nudge, which Shane now recognized as a head bonk from Obi. 

“Five more minutes, Obi, please.” Shane requested quietly, closing his eyes and pressing his nose into Ryan’s hair. He breathed in deeply and he knew he could fall right back asleep, if he was given the chance. He wasn’t being given the chance.

“Meow.” Obi insistently meowed, giving an even more aggressive bonk this time.

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Shane grumbled, pressing a kiss to Ryan’s hair before he carefully tried to untangle himself from Ryan without waking him. 

“Hmm?” Ryan asked, blinking blearily at Shane. He was certain Shane had said something, but he had no idea what it had been. He giggled when he saw Shane’s hair, sticking up from absolutely every angle. He then immediately closed his eyes with a groan and put his head back down on the pillow. His head throbbed, and even though he’d definitely had worse hangovers, he had also had better. 

“Sorry. Obi decided he’s tired of waiting for breakfast.” Shane said with a sheepish smile, running his fingers gently through Ryan’s hair. “I’m going to make some coffee and bring you some aspirin, okay?” He asked as he slipped out of bed.

“Mmm. Mhmm.” Ryan hummed, giving a tiny nod. He probably could have managed a more coherent answer, but he was pretty sure Shane knew that he meant yes anyway. He generally trusted Shane to know what he meant when maybe someone else wouldn’t.

Shane leaned over to kiss Ryan’s temple because he looked so sweet when he was hiding from all light and sound and consciousness. “You can have five more minutes, but then it’s coffee time, baby.” He said, making his way to the door. He looked at Ryan one more time with a smile before he headed for the kitchen with Obi in tow. He felt so happy that the tiny headache he had barely registered. He was on top of the world right then. He could do anything, he was sure of it. 

The thought that he and Ryan had to have a serious talk popped into his head unwarranted, and he felt a little more apprehensive. He shook his head, telling himself that he wouldn’t let that freak him out or kill the off the happiness high. He started the coffee before he finally got Obi his food. “There you go, you silly boy. I’m sorry you thought you were going to starve to death.” He said, gently petting down his back. 

Before Ryan knew it, Shane was gently touching his shoulder to wake him. But he was smiling and holding a mug of coffee, so maybe it wasn’t so bad being awake. He sat up just enough to safely drink things and sleepily returned Shane’s smile. 

“Take the drugs with the water and then you can have coffee.” Shane said, sitting down on the bed and nodding over at the bedside table. He had considered making breakfast of some kind and letting Ryan sleep a little more, but he had decided they could maybe order something in that was a little more interesting than the meager eggs and/or toast that he had to offer at the moment. 

“Thank you.” Ryan said softly and he took the aspirin. He then downed half the glass of water before he made grabby hands at the mug in Shane’s hands.

Shane handed Ryan the coffee and couldn’t help but give him a fond smile. He took a sip of his own coffee and considered all the things he wanted to say to Ryan, and all the things he wanted to do with him. Would Ryan stay all day today, if he asked? He really wanted to ask, but he knew he should give Ryan some time to become human again before discussing anything that was important. “I was thinking we could order breakfast burritos from that place you like, if you want? They deliver and everything, so it would be pretty easy.” He said instead, because he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to this one. 

Ryan was sipping coffee like it might revive him immediately if he drank enough, but it was too hot to chug so he had to settle for many little sips back to back. “Yes, oh my God, that sounds so good right now.” He said with an enthusiastic nod. 

It didn’t take long for Shane to put in the order, and it was delivered surprisingly quick after that. Shane retrieved the order from the door while Ryan finished off his coffee. Soon, he was settled back in bed with Ryan pressed into his side as they ate their breakfast which was more like brunch, probably.

“So, not to take it too lightly or anything, but are we going to talk about the elephant in the room over breakfast burritos, or are we just going to avoid talking about it?” Ryan asked cautiously, because he was driving himself crazy thinking about all the possibilities that may or may not be open to him after last night.

“We can talk about it.” Shane said, but he very much did not want to be the one to start the conversation. There was still the risk that even though they both seemed to want something new from each other it might not necessarily be the same thing. Shane knew that if he bared his heart for Ryan to see and Ryan ended up not wanting the things he did, he was certain he would die.

“Okay, great. Yeah, alright. So, I guess you want me to start us off, which makes sense because it’s terrifying, but I’m just gonna go for it. I’m gonna lay it all on the table, and just uh, hope for the best, I guess.” Ryan said, taking a slow breath. There was no going back after this, but he couldn’t let this go without getting everything off his chest, for better or for worse. “You’re my best friend, you know that. Everyone knows that, actually, like, literally anyone that knows me knows you. But you make me laugh, and you make work feel like it’s the funnest thing in the world, and you make me feel safe, and you know me better than anyone else ever has, and you tell me things I know you wouldn’t tell anyone else, and you love all the movies I do, and you know exactly what to do when I’m at my wit’s end. You keep me sane, and not just in those horrifying places we go for Unsolved, but through the grind of editing until I can’t see straight, or when I’m having anxiety over literally anything, or when I went through the worst break up of my entire life while also shooting back to back episodes for BuzzFeed, or when we decided we needed to make something of our own even though we knew fuck all about starting a business and we bet everything on ourselves which I was scared shitless might come back to bite us in the ass but it didn’t because we make the best fucking team together, Shane. You compliment me in every way. By that I mean we’re complete opposites in a lot of things but it’s in ways that work good together. I want you to be my opposite forever. I can’t imagine my life without you, and I would never want to. And so I guess that was just my really long winded way of saying: I love you, Shane.” Ryan finished, and it felt overly specific and maybe a bit too dramatic, but it was honest, and it was from the heart. 

Shane should have known this was what was going to happen, but he had been too busy fearing the worst that he forgot to consider that Ryan would make a speech that was the weirdest declaration of love he had ever received. It was perfect. “Oh, Ryan.” He breathed, fonder than he’s ever said it aloud before. He reached out to cup Ryan’s cheek, brushing his thumb over the skin while his stubble prickled at his palm. How many times had he wished he could touch Ryan like this? And now it seemed easier than anything. “I don’t think I could make a speech like that even if I had time to write one up, but… I love you, Ryan. I don’t know for how long, but one day you just smiled at me and it hit me like a ton of bricks. You’re everything to me, Ryan, you have been for years. This is all I’ve wanted for a while now. Are you sure that you want to do this? There’s… There’s probably no going back, if we choose this. I just want to know that you’re sure.”

Ryan leaned into Shane’s hand and listened to him with a soft smile. “Shane, I have never been more sure about anything in my life.” He took Shane’s hand into his own and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I’m in as long as you are. We’re a packaged deal, baby.” He gave Shane a bright grin.

Shane was weak for that smile, and he had been for far too long. “I’m in, Ry. Of course I am.” He said, beaming right back at Ryan for a moment before he leaned close to press a chaste kiss to Ryan’s lips. 

“Oh, I think we can do better than that.” Ryan said, and he pulled Shane in for a proper kiss. It was one of many they shared that morning.

They had a lot of time to make up for, after all.


End file.
